Common Questions

Is hospice care strictly limited to the last 6 months of someone’s life?

Answer: No. Medicare defines hospice as care provided to patients who, due to a terminal illness “have
a medical prognosis that his or her life expectancy is 6 months or less if the illness runs its
normal course.” However, a medical prognosis is an educated prediction of the course of illness.
Physicians cannot predict a lifespan with complete certainty. Therefore, hospice patients may live
beyond the initial 6-month prognosis, with Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance coverage going
uninterrupted as long as they meet hospice criteria.

Can hospice patients continue to see his/her primary care physician?

Answer: Yes. A hospice patient may continue to see his/her primary care physician, as normal, for
both non-related illnesses and the hospice diagnosis (or illness) if the physician agrees. We, at Heart of Hospice,
encourage your physician to continue to care for you while you have our service.

Is hospice care only provided to patients with cancer related terminal diagnosis?

Do hospice patients have to remain homebound?

Answer: No. Unlike home health care, hospice patients may participate in any activity they choose
and are not restricted to their home. In fact, hospice encourages patients to get out and enjoy
life.

Can hospice patients receive home health care or dialysis while receiving hospice care?

Answer: Hospice will admit a patient under one diagnosis (or illness) and provide pain
management and all elements of care related to that specific illness. Therefore, the hospice
patient is free to receive care and/or treatment for all other illnesses as normal. That care
may include home health. In the case of a dialysis patient, a patient may continue to receive
hospice care as long as the dialysis is not related to the hospice admitting diagnosis.

Can a hospice patient go to the hospital?

Answer: A hospice patient always has the right to go to a hospital if he/she chooses. However, our goal at Heart of
Hospice is to treat all symptoms directly related to the hospice illness in the home setting. Certainly for symptoms not related
to the hospice illness, a hospice patient may go to the hospital for treatment as they normally would.